Apple Announces Some Substantial Changes to the App Store
Less than a week before WWDC kicks off in San Francisco, Apple has just announced some major changes to the App Store.
Some big changes
Easily the biggest change is that Apple will now allow subscriptions for all app categories. And Apple is making a change on how much revenue it will take from a subscription. After the first year of the usual 70/30 split, developer’s will only be required to give 15 percent to Apple. That’s a major shift in how the App Store operates. The entire subscription policy can be found here.
Another new feature will be paid App Store ads. When users search the App Store, developers can pay to have their apps featured within those search results. The program will start with a beta on Monday and rollout wider in the fall. Ads will be obviously labeled with a blue background and search ad icon.
Apple also announced that half of app reviews are completed in one day and that 90 percent are complete within two days. That’s a huge improvement and something sure to make both developers and app users much happier.
Finally, starting this fall, Apple will start filtering out apps you’ve already downloaded to make it easier to find new titles.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing and App Store head, sat down with both The Loop and The Verge to talk more about the changes.
We’re likely to hear more about these announced changes and other important news during WWDC. The event will kick off at 10 a.m. PDT on Monday, June 13. Stick here with AppAdvice as we will be covering the event live.
